Letters: Penn State’s season still reflects ‘success with honor’; Grateful for exceptional health care

Penn State’s season still reflects ‘success with honor’

Jon Sauber’s quasi-apocalyptic reporting on the Lions’ heartbreaking Orange Bowl loss reflects the prevailing Nittany Nation sentiments. On research leave, I watched with Penn State students enjoying study abroad in Australia, and several declared that this season did not reflect “success with honor” because of the loss. The notion that this season was a failure is unfortunate. It obscures all the positives. It also does not reflect our actual lives. Except for a few departments, Penn State is not No. 1 in their field. So are all our students and faculty losers because they didn’t get into or hired by Yale or Berkeley? The team was poised to move forward to the national championship except for a huge mental error by a 21-year old. To me, “success with honor” includes a definition of “success” that is honorable.

Grateful for exceptional health care

I have been to the Mount Nittany Medical Center Emergency Room twice in the past month. Both times I have received exceptional care. Every single person I encountered, from the front desk staff, to the doctors and nurses, even the person cleaning my room, was incredibly kind and professional. I wish I knew all of their names to thank them individually. I also want to thank everyone who works at Happy Valley Dentistry. Dr. Zachary Emerson is new to this town and we are lucky to have him and his staff. He has taken over Dr. David Schimmel’s practice, which I have been blessed to be a part of for 25 years. One more shout out goes to Endodontist Dr. Robert Saylor. He and his staff are supremely kind and extremely professional.

PSU fans have hope for next year

Although Penn State lost to Notre Dame, I want to thank the team for a great year. It was difficult to see them lose, but we as fans have hope for next year. Notre Dame does not belong to a conference, so they get all the bowl money for themselves; this is not fair to all the teams who have to share the money they get from the bowl games and this needs to be changed. We are Penn State.

A modest proposal

Gee, now that the Beaver Stadium press box has been demolished, maybe it’s time to consider how loyal Penn Staters can help rectify an unlikely but serious problem. Now, everyone knows that Penn State’s building projects nearly always come under or at the announced initial projected cost, and the likelihood that the enhancements to the football stadium will exceed the current estimate of $700 million is minuscule. But suppose the estimate is too low, or we decide the current plan that fails to recognize the need to build a dome over the stadium need to be revised? There could be a shortfall that would require re-balancing the current mix of academics, entertainment, and athletics that constitute our mission. Cut gymnastics? Cancel Taylor Swift? Eliminate the Petroleum Engineering Department? Those who bleed blue and white shudder at the mere thought! What is to be done, to quote a phrase. I propose a “Save Our State” contest. For a small entry fee, say $25, contestants predict the final cost of the stadium upgrade, be it less than, exactly the current price tag of $700 million, or maybe even higher. The proceeds from the contest go to defraying the cost of the upgrade, and the winner gets a lifetime seat in a new luxury box.

Hemp is solution to ‘plastic apocalypse’

A recent David Mastio article tiptoes around the plastic apocalypse like it’s a minor inconvenience, but let’s rip the Band-Aid off. Our planet is choking on this synthetic sludge, and the solution has been staring us in the face for decades — hemp. Yes, hemp. That miraculous, demonized plant can do everything plastic does, only better, and it biodegrades instead of outliving the cockroaches.

Consider this: Almost every plastic product clogging our oceans and stuffing landfills could be made with hemp. Water bottles? Check. Grocery bags? Easy. Packaging, straws, toys, you name it. Hemp fibers are stronger than steel by weight, and its cellulose content is perfect for making bioplastics. Oh, and it doesn’t take millions of years to degrade — just a few months, tops.

Yet here we are, drowning in plastic forks and petroleum-based nonsense because Big Oil wanted a slice of every disposable cup you’ve ever touched. It’s a racket, plain and simple, and we’re all paying the price. Microplastics are in our bloodstreams now — did you know that? We’ve turned ourselves into walking, talking trash heaps.

Hemp is the obvious escape hatch. It grows fast, absorbs carbon, and doesn’t need a PR campaign to prove it’s sustainable. The fact that we’re not mass-producing hemp-based alternatives is less about feasibility and more about corporate greed and bureaucratic inertia.

It’s time to get serious. Ban single-use plastics, subsidize hemp production, and unleash the ingenuity of humanity on a plant that can literally save the world.